Picked up a Tasso Elba suit on clearance two months ago...

I wanted to share my experience with Tasso Elba from Macy's. I've seen several posts around here saying the quality is crummy, but here are my thoughts.

Around Thanksgiving 2012, I went to Macy's to check out their "clearance sale". Now I realize this wasn't the best idea, but stick with me here. I was pleasantly surprised when I found a 90% wool, 10% cashmere blend suit in 36 short. The suit is navy with a white dotted pinstripe and light solid-blue pinstripe pattern. Turns out the brand was Tasso Elba. The pattern is a traditionally great pattern, the fabric is pretty soft (softer than 120s wool, but that's probably because of the cashmere), the shoulders aren't cardboard, and it is fused yet seems to be pretty good construction. The cut is a pretty traditional American cut with a center vent - not bloomy like JAB of BB, but not a slim fit either. And, there aren't any bells and whistles in the design: no pick stitching on the collar, no faux button holes on the sleeves, etc. In all, I paid $119 on clearance after tax and - for the heck of it - even had Macy's take in the waist for free.

So far I have owned the suit for two months and worn it three times. Originally I was happy with the purchase because of the price, but each time I've worn it I've received multiple compliments. I haven't had it dry-cleaned yet, so we'll see how that goes, but overall I have thoroughly enjoyed the purchase. It's definitely better quality than Lauren by Ralph Lauren (contrary to what some of other posters say), the white label Calvins, department store Tommy Hilfiger, and J&F. The suit normally retails for $550 and I would agree it's definitely not worth that much. But, if you could walk away spending less than $200 or $250 on one of their suits in a pattern that you like - particularly a wool cashmere blend - than I would say it's a good value. Based on my assessment, it's probably one of the better labels Macy's carries.

Good point, I didn't mention that it is a house brand. As I said, at clearance I spent $119. I suspect others could probably find similar deals under $200 at the end of the seasons if their Macy's has a good clearance area. In Houston, the Macy's I went to is in the Galera area, so entire shopping area is supposed to be a more upper-class - so I suspect that is why they had so many Boss and Tallo Elbo suits available.